If you have a cat with long and thick fur or if your cat has trouble grooming themselves, hair mats can be a problem. Hair clippers can come in handy if hair mats are a consistent issue, particularly since mats can be uncomfortable to pull from your cat’s skin. Using hair clippers is easier and much safer than using scissors.
You likely don’t have the time for an exhaustive search for clippers, so we did the research and created reviews of eight of the best cat hair clippers available to Canadians. We hope that one of these sets will work well for you and your cat.
A Quick Glance at Our Favorites in 2023
Rating
Image
Product
Details
Best Overall
Oneisall Dog and Cat Grooming Clippers
Lightweight and low noise
Cordless with 4 hours of use after a 3-hour charge
The Oneisall Dog and Cat Grooming Clippers are the best overall cat hair clippers. They are light and quiet, which makes for an easier grooming session, especially if your cat tends to react to noise. They have a rechargeable battery that after 3 hours of charging, will give you about 4 hours of use. They have the bonus of an LCD display that tells you how much charge you have left while in use. This set comes with several items, including six guide combs, scissors, a comb, a cleaning brush, and a charging stand, and it’s reasonably priced.
There were a few issues with the guiding combs. You might find that they don’t stay on well, and while attached, they can make extra noise. These clippers also require an additional shipping cost, which will drive up the overall price.
Pros
Lightweight and low noise
Cordless with 4 hours of use after a 3-hour charge
LCD display lets you know how much charge is left
Comes with six guiding combs, scissors, comb, and cleaning brush
The best cat hair clippers for the money are Enjoy Dog and Cat Clippers. Just 3 hours of charging gets you up to 7 hours of use, and they have a titanium-and-ceramic blade. They’re low noise, and you can pick from five different blade adjustments to fine-tune the trimming. There are four comb attachments, a comb, scissors, a cleaning brush, and a charger. The edges of the blade are blunt, so it’s much less likely to injure your cat’s skin, and the blade is removable and washable.
But if you have a heavily matted cat, these clippers might not work well. They tend to get jammed when you try to cut under the mats, so these clippers work best for cats that don’t have thick fur.
Pros
Well-priced
7 hours of use after a 3-hour charge
Low noise
Five different blade adjustments
Includes four attachments, scissors, comb, and cleaning brush
Cons
Might not work for cats with thick fur or many mats
3. Wahl Arco SE Cordless Clipper Kit — Premium Choice
Wahl Arco SE Cordless Clipper Kit is our premium choice pick. It includes a five-in-one blade that can be adjusted from 0.1mm to 3 mm. The blade is easily removed for cleaning or adjusting and is lightweight yet powerful. There are two rechargeable batteries, but the clippers only use one at a time, so you can have another battery charged and ready for backup. It also comes with four guide combs, a storage case, blade oil and cleaning brush, and a charger with a stand.
The obvious issue with these clippers is the price — they are expensive! Also, they might not work for cats with thick coats or multiple mats.
Pros
Five-in-one blade
Easily removable blade for cleaning
Lightweight and powerful
Two rechargeable batteries included
Comes with four guide combs, storage case, and cleaning brush and oil
Four attachments, including comb and thinning and regular scissors
Kiizon Dog and Cat Grooming Clippers give you the choice of three speeds of 5,000, 5,800, or 6,500 rotations per minute. Charging it for 3 hours can give you 4 hours of use, and the clipper’s body is anti-skid, making for a comfortable grip. There’s an LED display that tells you what speed it’s on and how much of a charge you have left. It also lets you know when it’s time to oil the blades and when it needs cleaning, so it’s quite user friendly! This set comes with four guiding combs, a cleaning brush, a charger, a comb, scissors, and thinning scissors.
However, these are pricier than many other clippers on this list, and they don’t work well with thick or long hair.
Pros
Choice of three speeds
3-hour charge for 4 hours of use
Anti-skid handle for a comfortable grip
LED display gives important information
Includes four guiding combs, comb, two scissors, and cleaning brush
Pet Union Professional Pet Grooming Kit gives you a few extras that many other kits don’t. Besides the clippers, you get four guide combs, scissors and thinning scissors, a comb, nail clippers, a nail file, and a cleaning brush and oil. These are low vibration and noise, as well as cordless and rechargeable. These are among the more affordable clippers available.
What we don’t like is that they aren’t meant for dense, thick fur (light to medium coats are recommended), and these aren’t the most powerful clippers out there.
Pros
Includes four guiding combs, nail clippers and file, two scissors, and a cleaning brush and oil
Maxshop Pet Grooming Clippers gives you about 70 minutes of use after a full charge. The blade is titanium and is easily removed for cleaning, and the material will ensure that it won’t become rusty. The clippers are also low vibration and noise, and they come with four guiding combs, scissors, a comb, a cleaning brush, and the usual charging cord. You get all of this, and it’s the least expensive clipper set on this list.
The cons are that the clippers aren’t that powerful, and you might find yourself going over the same spot several times. Unsurprisingly, they also don’t tackle long or thick hair that well.
Pros
Affordable
70 minutes of use after full charge
Titanium blade is easy to detach for cleaning
Low vibration and noise
Includes four guiding combs, comb, scissors, and a cleaning brush
The Triumilynn Quiet Dog and Cat Clippers are quiet clippers at less than 40 dB and have low vibration. They also have an LCD display that tells you how much time is left on the charge and when you should oil the blades. The blades are removable and made with stainless steel and ceramic. These clippers have 2½ hours of use after a 2-hour charging time. Two attachment combs, a cleaning brush, and a charging cable are included.
But these clippers are pricey, and while they’re quieter than many other clippers, they might still be noisy for some cats. The instructions that come with it are not in English.
Pros
Quiet at less than 40 dB
LCD display for status
Removable stainless-steel-and-ceramic blade
Comes with two guide combs, cleaning brush, and charging cord
Grimgrow Waterproof Low Noise Clippers are easy to handle because they are lightweight and easy to operate, so there is little wrist fatigue. The blade teeth are rounded, so they are less likely to cause injury, and the clippers are low vibration and low noise but still powerful. These clippers are waterproof and rechargeable with a USB cord, which is included, along with a cleaning brush and two guiding combs.
However, the blades might still nick your cat’s skin if you don’t use the guiding combs, and the battery life can be inconsistent, particularly after some time has passed.
Pros
Easy to handle and lightweight
Rounded blade teeth are less likely to cause injury
Low vibration and low noise
Waterproof
Comes with two guiding combs, a cleaning brush, and a USB charging cord
Cons
Might nick the skin
Battery life doesn’t always last
Buyer’s Guide — Finding the Best Cat Hair Clipper
All cats need brushing at some point, even shorthaired breeds, as they are just as likely to develop mats as longhaired breeds. But before you purchase a set of clippers, check out this buyer’s guide. We go through a few points that might give you a better idea of what type of clippers might work best for you and your cat. And remember that clippers no matter how safe they appear, can risk cuts to a cat’s skin. If in doubt, contact a professional groomer or your vet for help getting your cat’s coat sorted!
Watch Tutorials
Before you consider purchasing clippers, watch video tutorials on how to groom a cat with your cat’s coat type. You’ll find good advice, and it can better prepare you for grooming your cat on your own.
Thinning Scissors Can Help
The instructions that come with most of these clippers will tell you that if your cat has an extremely thick coat or is heavily matted, you should try to thin out the coat with thinning scissors before using the clippers. Many clippers will not be able to get through these kinds of coats. Otherwise, you will need a great deal of patience, especially from your cat, to remove these mats.
You also might need to break the grooming into short sessions. Remove one mat at a time over the course of a few days (or longer). If you opt to cut some of the fur or mats with scissors, proceed with caution. It’s not unheard of for a well-meaning cat owner to accidentally cut their cat’s skin. Be very careful to ensure you have no skin caught up in the fur.
Choose the Battery Type
Most clippers these days are cordless and run on rechargeable batteries. But all rechargeable batteries start to lose their strength over time, so aim for clippers with lithium-ion batteries, as they tend to degrade slower than the others.
You Get What You Pay For
If the clippers are cheap, you can assume that the quality won’t be that high. This doesn’t necessarily mean you should only invest in clippers that are hundreds of dollars, though — you should be able to find good-quality clippers in your price range.
Only Get Clippers for Cats
Don’t purchase clippers that are explicitly for other animals. The clippers on this list are primarily listed for dogs and even horses, but cats are also mentioned. Clippers for humans or larger animals won’t work well for a cat — the blades might be too wide to cover a cat’s specific body type.
Also, be sure to read the reviews and the specifications. Double check that the clippers come with the accessories that you need — ideally, a cleaning brush and oil and several guide combs if you don’t want to shave your cat all the way down (which is not recommended).
We hope that these reviews and buyer’s guide have pointed you toward a pair of clippers that you’ll find easy to use and that your cat won’t completely despise!
Our writing team consists of practicing veterinarians and vet technicians, animal trainers who specialize in animal psychology, and people who care deeply about the well-being of all animals, big and small.
